Viking China

[Little Toot2]

Okay, I've tried to post a response to Lori twice in the past two days and it didn't show up either time after I submitted it? Well, if at first you don't succeed.....try, try again!

 

We were a bit tight on time when we booked our trip to China, so we decided to take our passports down to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago ourselves, where we filled out the paperwork and then drove back to pick them up a week later. We did use the visa company last year when we went to Russia with Viking, however, and had no problems.

 

Unlike Ocala, we decided not to put the tips on our shipboard account, but rather used the envelopes which they provided to rid ourselves of our Chinese currency. However, you do receive an accurate account summary of your expenses aboard ship, although I no longer recall if that summary was listed in US dollars.

 

The American dollar is welcomed currency with all street vendors, although we tried not to use them often. It's really up to you about how you feel with regards to putting those dollars into the world market in China for by doing that you're really forcing our government to print more money (our tax dollars at work) while providing the Chinese with another monetary exchange unit.... While in China, we used our ATM card in all of the big cities and used the yuan as our currency of choice. You will have no problem in doing that as long as you remember that you will not be able to access more funds in the rural areas.

 

To the best of my knowledge, Viking no longer offers the trip which we took in ' 04. That tour started in Shanghai (3 nights), then we were bused to Suzhou for two days , then bused to Wuhan where we boarded the Century Star and sailed for a week through the Three Gorges area before disembarking at Chongqing. We then flew to Xian for two days before flying on to Beijing for the final three days of our tour.

[land lover]

Toot.....that is known as the white screen cruse...frustrating isn't it?

sometimes they magically appear an hour later.:confused: sometimes never.

 

You bring up a good point about using China's currency. But, if they can charge tips on my account less hassel for me. I just want to make sure I have cash/TC's without depending on an ATM. Your trip sounds interesting, what part did you enjoy the most?

 

Also how was Viking in Russia?

 

 

Ocala, where is your next cruise or trip planned to?

 

Thank you both for the info..I am sure I'll have more questions..stay tuned...........L:) ri

[Little Toot2]

Lori, your California girl wardrobe should serve you well as the Chinese people love bright colors..... red being their favorite! My husband brought along a bright red athletic top which he wore when he ran along the Great Wall and many of the young Chinese people cheered him on as he ran past.

 

My toughest choices when packing did not involve clothing, but rather shoes and I ended up limiting myself to three pair (dressy black shoes, a pair of black walkers, and sandals with an athletic sole and good side supports). As we were taking two inter-China flights where we were only allowed one 40 pound suitcase and a small carry-on, I found that I had to make smart choices. I even took my bags down to the local UPS store and had them weighed the afternoon before we flew out. As I was so close to the limit, my husband told me that I was going to be throwning out my clothing along the way in order to make room for my purchases. He was wrong, however, as they never weighed our individual luggage pieces at check-in in China. I do know that our bags were well over the weight limits by the end of the trip, but we were never charged.....

 

I checked your itinerary and the Cultural Delights trip offers a nice package. We traveled with Viking during their first year of operation in China in '04. At that time, they did not include Nanjing, Mt. Jiu Hua, or Jingdezhen. Instead we visited Suzhou and took a short cruise up the Grand Canal on a small, private vessel that wasn't very well maintained. I really enjoyed seeing the mix of commercial river traffic and the industrial development along the canal on that trip, however, and would do it again!

 

The cruise portion of our trip was unique as China experienced serious flooding upstream along the Yangtze, forcing government officials to stop all river traffic from passing through the Three Gorges Dam. The Century Star ended up tied to a dock in Yichang for 5 of the 7 days during the cruise portion of our trip while Viking scrambled to provide alternative 'field trips' for us. Although many fellow passengers were very upset over these circumstances, my husband and I felt that we were able to experience parts of China that we would have not otherwise seen including a trip to the Three Gorges area on a Soviet era commuter boat. These local transportation options weren't alway up to our American standards and I was glad that I had brought along a pair of jeans as I would not have wanted to sit on some of those benches in a short skirt. I guess that the real message here is that you should think about packing a couple of pieces of 'survival clothing' in addition to your cruise ship wardrobe when traveling to many areas of the world including both China and Russia.

 

Let me know if I can be of any other assistance........ "LT"

[land lover]

LT..thanks for the info on the wardrobe..and the jean situation...we have had so many incredible clearance sales here in the last several weeks..I am planning to leave many of my clothes behind. Shoes? now that will be difficult.:)

 

I am glad you had an unexpected adventure on your trip I am sure we will as well. Our ship will also have about 100 people more than yours(306) if I am not mistaken.I am curious when making stops on the river did everyone go on tours at the same time or were you stagered?

What was your experience Ocala?

 

Thanks again for your time...........Lori

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So is your Little Toot name from little toot in the golden story books?

[Ocala]

Hi Lori - our stops on the Yangtze were accomplished in groups with our escorts. The temple stop was pretty crowded but our "local" guide did try to manage to keep us together. On the Lesser Three Gorges trip each group transfered to smaller ships meeting again for lunch for a cliff-side BBQ halfway through the trip. During the whole trip, Viking did a pretty good job trying to stagger the visits aside for meals. Since different groups flew at sometimes different times, this kept us from "cooling our heels" if our flight was last. Next up for us is a Tauck California (SanFran to San Diego) trip in June, roadtrip to the Southwest & canyonlands in late Oct, and possibly in 2007 a Viking Antwerp/Basel, Tauck Canadian Maritimes, and my goal: Tauck Tour to Egypt. We also won a contest for $500 off a cruise of our choice from a local cruise broker that we might do at "the last minute". Anything planned after China? Cheers //Ocala//

[land lover]

Greetings Ocala,

So you will be coming out my way in June and I will be heading to Europe on a Globus tour with my youngest child, celebrating his graduation from 8th grade.

 

Tell me about Tauck have you been pleased with them? I've heard many good things.

This will be my third time with Globus to Europe in 5 years, have been very happy with them, espcially when I or as it was in 2004 my DH and I, are traveling with one of our graduating teens. It is so easy to leave everything to the tour company. I am getting lazy as I am getting older.

 

I would one day like to travel to Egypt, as well, does Tauck have an intinerary that caught your eye?

 

Congrats..on your $500....so it sounds like your traveling is non-stop.

 

I am sure I'll have more questions on China..thanks again.........Lori

[Little Toot2]

Hi Lori,

I worked up a lengthy reply in response to your questions only to have it disappear again. I will reconstruct it again soon, but my heart just isn't in it today.

 

Yes, I took my screen name from the Little Golden Book story, one of my favorites as a child. But it also worked for me as I love the small cruise ship experience and I'm a rather small person, over a foot shorter than my husband. It also seemed to fit as I love to talk about my travel experiences as you probably have surmised by now..... but I'll try hard not to toot my own horn! Actually I was pleasantly surprised that my choice for a screen name had not already been taken as this is a cruise forum! :)

LT

[land lover]

Some copy and paste their posts, and some break them up so not to loose all that they type.

 

Please.... "Toot", your horn as much as possible about your travels, I love to gain knowledge from others' experiences..... and do break up your posts, I do it all the time.

 

It is amazing how many "lurkers"(those who remain silent on the boards) gain from all the experience one posts.

 

Looking forward to hearing about "Little Toots" adventures:)

[Little Toot2]

If you choose to have Viking make your flight arrangements, you will be assigned cross country flights that meet up on the west coast (SFO in our case) where you will board the same overseas flight to China. When you arrive in China, Viking guides in red jackets will meet your flight near the baggage claim area and then lead you out of the terminal where you will board buses to take you to your hotel. Once everyone had arrived in the lobby area, we were split into groups and the guides then collected our passports in order to record that data while we enjoyed a late night dinner. We were then able to retrieve our passports from our designated guide before retiring to our room for the evening. From that point on, all 'field trips' were taken with this guide. If you are traveling with a friends or an extended family group, be sure to let Viking know that you wish to be assigned to the same guide as these will be the people you will be traveling with throughout your time in China.... bus, inter-China flights, etc. Your 'field trips' may be staggered depending upon our destination on any given day, but each group is able to spend the same length of time at any given site.

 

In addition to your Viking guide, you will also have a local guide which will accompany your group during your visit to a particular city or site. These guides are well versed in their specific area, but will only be with you for a day or two, while your Viking guide remains with you throughout your time in China.

[San Diego Ronni]

Little Toot: Thank you so much for the info about letting Viking know if you're traveling with friends! We are, and that is a little hint I didn't even think about. We will be flying out of LAX. What airline was it on? Did you upgrade to business class? How crowded was the plane? We are dreading that many hours in "steerage."

 

Ocala: Enjoy your trip to California! We really do live in a beautiful place--San Diego. Be sure not to miss the San Diego Zoo, the world's finest, in our humble opinion! There are so many things to see and do here...how many days will you have in San Diego? I can let you know what not to miss. June weather, hopefully, will be good. We sometimes experience what's locally called "May Gray" and "June Gloom." The past couple of years haven't turned out that way, though, so maybe the sun will hold!

 

Anyone else going on this tour September 30 yet???

[Little Toot2]

Okay, this retired teacher has one more piece of information that I forgot to include in my first post today..... before you go, you must read this book: The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester. In this book, the author relives his experiences while traveling the entire length of the Yangtze with a Chinese guide. Winchester talks about the past history of areas that they pass through while giving you a visual picture of those same areas today. It's a well written, easy read... a book that you'll probably try to make room for in your carry-on.

[land lover]

I had a feeling you were a teacher, let me guess you majored in English? Did you teach primary students? Do you remember the story of PING?

 

 

:)

[Ocala]

Hi Ronnie, LT, & Lori - Our flight (UA nonstop from Chicago) was full, as was the return :( . LT, good advice re traveling with friends. We travel with two retired school teachers and always tell our operators and it makes the trips a lot more enjoyable. Tauck is terrific! It is, however, a "premium" tour group - (tauck.com). Lori - check out that Egypt tour on their website!. Expect exceptional hotels, food, service, but at a price. Trips to national parks have us overnight in the parks (at the Grand Canyon our hotel room view was 75 feet from the South Rim). The next trip will be our 4th with Tauck. Glad to hear Globus is good. We've been checking them out too. Ronnie - I spent boot camp & training in SD and spent most non-bootcamp Sundays (free in uniform) at the SD Zoo. Can't wait to visit the zoo again - this time on a private tour with Tauck. We spend only one extra day in San Diego after our tour. Maybe we'll visit Duke in prison! :rolleyes: LT, another couple of books re emerging China (and India) are The World Is Flat (Friedman) & 3 Billion New Capitalists - I can't remember the author - you'll see evidence of this emerging economic steamroller when in Shanghai. Cheers, All. //Ocala//

[San Diego Ronni]

Ocala: When were you last at the zoo? It has undergone some great changes, and you'll love our baby panda! Our breeding program has been going fabulous. We've had three babies so far. Your comment about visiting "Duke" in prison cracked me up! What an embarrassment! Maybe better than visiting him, though, would be the San Diego Wild Animal Park????? Or an Old Town Trolley Tour would show you the highlights of the city....if it's been a while since you've been here, you will notice much growth--our motto here is: "Welcome to San Diego---now go home---and take a friend." :D Our crowding is getting a little too much like LA.

 

LT: My husband is a retired college teacher and administrator. I figured you were a teacher, with your proper underlining of the book title and calling shore excursions "field trips!"

 

Land Lover: I fondly remember the story of Ping!

 

Question: There has been much talk about clothes; no jeans, shorts, white tennis shoes....how about capris?

[land lover]

Ocala, on Tauck what is the tour group size? You get limited exceptional lodging with Globus...but after my brief comparison I think the two companies offer different products. What I find interesting

about China is all the tours companies prettty much offer the same thing, probably due to gov. regs....if we like this taste and we have a desire to return..I would like to set up one of those independent tours with our kids.

 

Ronni do you work for the Chamber of Commerce in SD? :D

 

:)

 

Hi, LT

[Ocala]

Hi Ronnie - My last visit to the SD Zoo was late 1969. It should be a very different experience now, right? Most of my non-Zoo outing were to TJ & Disneyland, in-town concerts like the Stones & Creedance. Know what you mean about SD. Ocala needs a sign like "Go Away - We're Full" :p . Lori - Tauck's bus tours number between 35 & 40 (one bus-load). Aside from staying in the National Parks, Tauck stays at Fairmont hotels when available. Staying at the Lake Louise Fairmont, I later won a photo contest with a photo from my room. Tauck also taylors tours especially for adults with kids/grandkids. You are right about China itineraries. All the same major sites are included in every itinerary, it seems. We chose Viking since they are the only foreign tour operator in China with their own river boats plus their good reputation. Re Capris, I'd say they are appropriate. What about it, LT? Cheers //Ocala//

[Little Toot2]

Yes Lori, I remember reading The Story About Ping to my own children. Speaking of ducks, when in Wuhan if time allows you must walk down to the market area which is only about a mile at most from the docks. There you will find people selling all sorts of animals as well as other inexpensive Chinese items. It's really a sad thing to see for the animals are kept in these tiny cages. Sadder still are the primitive living conditions of the families who work in the market area and live onsite. Another option that you may elect if the bird flu epidemic concerns you is to exit the dock area and walk downstream about the same distance to a lovely park along the riverbank. When we were there many families were out after dinner enjoying the green space. On thing that I'll always remember were the vendors who had these huge brushes and buckets of water. Parents would 'rent' a brush & bucket for a period of time so that their child could practice his/her Chinese characters on the sidewalk in the park! Can you imagine our kids doing the same thing in this country.......

 

Ocala, is this the book you spoke of: Three Billion New Capitalists: The Great Shift of Wealth and Power to the East -- by Clyde Prestowitz ? After these folks see Shanghai with 15 percent of the world's construction cranes at work building this mega-city, they will understand some of the challenges that our nation will soon face. Certainly our children and grandchildren will not enjoy the same ecomonic position in the world that we have come to expect. I will put that book on my reading list!

 

Lori and Ronni... I struggle how to word this delicately, but as you keep asking about wardrobe I've decided that it needs to be said. When chosing garments to pack, please remember that not all areas of China have western bathroom facilities. Although you will encounter fewer primitive rest stops than I did on my 'alternative field trips' along the Yangtze, you will find some places where only the handicapped facility is western and time will not allow everyone to use it..... so plan accordingly! I would recommend dark shoes and pants, capri or other makes no difference, but pack some darker colored ones.

[land lover]

Ronni..if you read back several posts you will see both Ocala and LT had some good suggestions for clothing...since they are both current cruisers I am goiing with their suggestions, rather than some of those old posts, that we probably both have read..... I am planning to bring mostly capris.

 

Ocala...that is the same with Globus one bus 36 and 42 people for our past tours. Have you ever gone to Venice with Tauck? I am curious what hotel they would use there?Yes, I was reading some posts on their web sites making references to children, thanks for the tip.

 

Photo contest winner? Was the photo taken from the window? Was it of Lake Louise? Were there any benefits for winning the contest?

 

:)

[jff50]

before you go, you must read this book: The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester. In this book, the author relives his experiences while traveling the entire length of the Yangtze with a Chinese guide. Winchester talks about the past history of areas that they pass through while giving you a visual picture of those same areas today. It's a well written, easy read... a book that you'll probably try to make room for in your carry-on.

 

I read and enjoyed this book. However, I did not especially like how judgemental Winchester was towards the Chinese. I am now about 2/3 of the way through River Town (by Peter Hessler). Hessler spent 2 years teaching english literature in a town on the Yangtze, with the Peace Corps. It was about the same time as Winchester's trip. Hessler gives you a much better flavor for the Chinese people, and is less judgemental. Maybe not as much history as Winchester. I would suggest reading both books, but prefer Hessler.

[Little Toot2]

Jff50: You certainly have me at a disadvantage as I have not read Hessler's book to date. After checking the book's reviews just now on Amazon.com, however, I must ask whether you believe this author was able to cover the broad expanse of the Yangtze or whether his focus was on the Fuling area... not with respect to historical events within the country during that time period so much as to the river itself? While I would agree that Winchester is very judgemental at times, I do believe that the sentiments he expresses would not be unlike the impressions likely to be gained by other westerners on this board.

 

So, let me ask you now..... Is there a recommended travel reads area on this travel board that I have yet to discover, or should we start one?

LT

[Ocala]

LT: Yes, that is the book! Sorry, Unlike my wife, I have a difficult time remembering authors. Not an easy read, but enlightening. Unfortunately, it is not fiction.

Lori: I'll look further into Globus, thanks. I remember seeing their busses around Europe. A friend that does European bus tours remarked that there is a good deal more walking now that busses aren't permitted to drop passengers in front of destinations any longer because of security reasons but a block or two away now. The adult/children Tauck program is called "Tauck Bridges". My wife and I did Venice on our own for 3 or 4 days in early 1979 when we lived in Rome. We stayed at the half-star Hotel Rialto (our room was closer to the famed bridge than it was to the down-hall bathroom!). :rolleyes: Tauck does list the hotels it uses in their brochures (and probably website). Yes, the photo was of Lake Louise from our room. Strange but Konica-Minolta only said I was in the running for a prize, then mysteriously dropped the contest from their website. I received a new $300 digital camera one day in the mail without an explanation! Go figure!:confused: We'll give it a try on our California trip! Cheers //Ocala//

[jff50]

Little Toot--I don't think Hessler provides as much historical info as Winchester, but he provides a lot more on what the Chinese people (especially those that live along the river) are like. I bought about 9 books on China (including Wild Swans, South of the Clouds, and Marco Polo--in addition to Winchester's and Hessler's) in preparation for my August river cruise. So far, I've only gotten through Winchester and most of Hessler. The challenge will be trying to get my daughters to read any of them before we go.

[land lover]

Glad, all of you make the time to read, thanks for the suggestions, I'll pick up a title or 2 for my carry-on, like you suggested LT.

 

No worry for me on the "toliet" facilities....past backpacker, good sugggestion on the dark clothing.

 

Ocala.....Your, friend is correct on bus stops in Europe, for example, Globus no longer stops at Notre Dame for this very reason.

Pretty nice receiving a "surprise camera"...

 

No questions from me today but would enjoy more China tips, Ocala and Toot:)

Thanks

[Little Toot2]

When docked at a port, don't be afraid to walk off the ship and explore the immediate town area around the docks independently if time allows. Although the flooding along the Yangtze limited us to only two days cruising on the river, my husband and I were able to leave the ship for almost two hours before the buses arrived to take us out to the Dongting Lake area to see the Yueyang Tower one day. How did we find the time to do this? The answer was simple....... skip lunch!

 

We walked for a couple of miles down a main street in this industrial town which was covered in a thin layer of soot from all of the coal burning factories nearby. The sites we saw were amazing, but we hold most of them in our minds only as we could sense that our presence was resented by some of the older men there and we decided not to press our luck by taking pictures. Wide, curbed streets with sidewalks very similar in structure to many US cities...... but what a difference. Families had taken over the sidewalk area and were camped out in front of their shops eating lunch, squating and talking. The street surface was level and wide as a four lane highway, but with very little traffic. All of the manhold covers had been removed and large rocks had been placed just in front of the opening in the direction of traffic flow to prevent a vehicle's wheel from falling into the hole. Street vendors had their wares out, displayed on racks beyond the sidewalk area, but their wares were for the locals as tourists were a novelty here. I saw shoes, clothing, and lots of plastic/rubberized bowls and washing tubs.... a Chinese version of Woolworth Department Store. I will never forget one toddler that I saw....naked from the waist down and squatting, not to relieve himself, but rather mimicking the adult male mechanic who was working on replacing the wheel on a old truck at his garage. The child held his interest for the entire time that he was within our view.... changing his position to better observe the work at hand. Quite an attention span for someone around the age of two.

[jff50]

Little Toot

 

I found your comments on exploring the town area interesting. Those are the types of observations I got out of Hessler's book (River Town).

 

Thanks for a great recommendation.